Agildo Bezerra

Agildo Bezerra (3 August 1804-12 October 1878) was a 19th-century politician, liberal thinker, and essayist of imperial era-Brazil. Bezerra was the deputy of the Brazilian Liberal Party from 1840 to 1844 under Daniel Nogueira, and afterwards, he published several works of literature on liberalism.

Biography
Agildo Bezerra was born on 3 August 1804 in Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Portuguese Brazil (around 40 miles to the west of the coastal city of Salvador, Brazil, just across the Baia de Todos os Santos). Bezerra was highly-educated by his wealthy father, who designed several railroads in the country. Bezerra read the works of authors such as John Locke, Voltaire, and Montesquieu, and was inspired by their ideas. Bezerra supported the Brazilian War of Independence in 1822-1824, writing a poem of the bravery of the Brazilian soldiers. Bezerra aligned himself with the Brazilian Liberal Party, and he wrote Independencia e Direito ("Independence and Law") on law practices after the war (1826). He also wrote an essay on the strengths of the government in Resolução (1833), a work that sold 100,000 copies across Brazil. Bezerra's work O Exercito Admiravel ("The Brave Army") was written in 1837 after the Brazilian Liberation of Bolivian Amazonas, a war that expanded Brazil's borders to include the disputed Amazonas region and Bolivian La Paz. Bezerra became the national poet of Brazil, and inspired the country's soldiers.

In 1840, when Daniel Nogueira was elected for a second term as the leader of the Liberal Party, he chose Bezerra as his deputy. Bezerra's tenure as deputy from 1840 to 1844 was stressful and a different experience than being a poet for the liberal cause, as he was now involved in the cutthroat business of politics. Bezerra raised money for teaching the uneducated how to read, but he had no other major acts. In 1844, after two terms in office, Nogueira retired, and Bezerra did not attempt to run for party leader. It is estimated that 80-95% of the population would have voted for Bezerra as Liberal Party leader or even Prime Minister if he ran for the office, but he decided to stay out of politics.

Bezerra became wealthy through his publications, and supported the Brazilian Army during its wars with the Argentine Confederation, the Colorado Party of Uruguay, and Paraguay. Bezerra later bought a resort home in Salvador, Bahia, where he wrote some letters and some unpublished works until he died in 1878. He was given an honor guard at his funeral, and was celebrated as a national hero.